It is a measure of the extent of the SNP’s decline that nationalist activists have seized on a new Ipsos poll that shows the party is now neck and neck with Scottish Labour. After all, it was only 18 months ago that the same company suggested the SNP enjoyed the support of more than half of people in Scotland, with Anas Sarwar’s party languishing on 25 per cent. Two resignations, a campervan and several unpopular policies later, however, and the SNP is now regularly recorded as being behind Scottish Labour, in one recent poll by as much as 10 points. Hence the excitement in otherwise weary nationalist circles that they may now be, at least, back to level pegging.

But despite the encouraging overall headline in this latest poll for the SNP, the devil is in the detail. While 36 per cent of people in Scotland back the party, that’s a fall of three points since Ipsos last took soundings in January. In contrast,........

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